CeCe was studying the systems readings from the isolator drive initiation that they had just gone through, “Captain Helt, I’m seeing a fifty-eight percent drop in conformal arrest timing from the previous activation. Do you have that?”
“Yes, I do.” came the reply from the screen. “I also have an accumulator pulse that was an even twenty-six percent below what it should have been. It seems that the Silverman is learning a smoother and less energy intensive way to do things.” Helt smiled, “I have a feeling that a whole bunch of isolator theorists are going to be writing a whole bunch of books when we get back.”
“Admiral!”
Stoker and Treelam had been studying the latest download from the Solar Monitor at the work station built into the low table in front of the seating area.
Wills came over and sat next to Stoker, “What do you have?”
“It looks as though you will have less than twenty hours on the surface before you must leave. At about mid-morning tomorrow at Watts the radiation levels will take a sharp jump as Forest begins crossing the orbital plane of the anomaly. The Weasel’s hull will offer some protection but those outside will acquire a lethal dose very quickly, thus eliminating any point in transporting them.”
Wills sat for a moment absorbing the rich wash of deadly colored graphics on the screen before rising and returning to the control console.
“Weasel to Santana; Hayes?”
Once again, the minutes passed, “Santana here; go ahead Admiral.”
“We expect to be on the ground in less than three hours. Doctors Stoker and Treelam tell me we will have only about twenty hours before the radiation reaches unacceptable levels. I want you to get things moving as quickly as possible. Getting 100,000 people up those rail lines and on this ship will take time that we no longer have.”
“Sir, if I were you, I wouldn’t count on having a full load. As it is, we’re having a slow time getting enough of them to fill the Gregory Falls. I have already sent some of the local leaders to the other towns by floater to get them moving, and I’m keeping all floaters here and using crew members from the Kellogg and Rance to pilot them and make pickups in those towns.”
Wills nodded as he listened to Hayes’ report, “Okay, Hayes; it sounds like you’re doing everything you can. Push as hard as you can. See you in a bit.”
##
Hayes stood with Captain Weathers next to the floater parked on the path to the town. Susan was guiding another group of Foresters that had come up on the railroad system. They all gawked at Hayes, Weathers, the Santana, and the two grounded floaters. Susan looked worn out and near ready to drop. A young couple with a small child that was part of the group she was leading had stopped at the town-end of the path and had the look of people that had just passed their reality tolerance limit. Susan was also well past some sort of tolerance limit; she was yelling at them.
“THEN DIE HERE!”
She stomped past them to catch up with the group that was now milling around one of the floaters from the Winslow.
Hayes leaned a little closer to Weathers, “Now there is one advanced case of frustration.”
“Kellogg to Santana.”
“This is Hayes; go ahead.”
“Lieutenant, the Pugnacious is now fully loaded and will be ready to depart in a few minutes. I have diverted all floater traffic to the Gregory Falls.”
“Excellent; thank you.”
Hayes picked up his last pouch of butterscotch candy and wandered over to the, still panicked, couple, “Here, have one of these.”
The female moved to hide behind the male and the little boy behind her; the male had the look of someone wishing for his own hiding place. It was highly probable that this was their first sight of the aliens.
“In a couple of hours, a very large ship will come down and land over there.” Hayes turned and pointed southward past the field, “It will be a sight that few people get to see; I have never seen one of these ships land or take off. If you would like to watch it land, you should sit over there.” He pointed to the seating area that he normally used.
His intent was to put something in their minds that was strange but benign and would break through the current lockup. Their eyes gradually lost that blank look and became something that looked a bit closer to confusion. He pointed to the seats and encouraged them to head in that direction.
After he had them seated, he went back to sit on the lip of the grav plate apron next to Weathers, “What was that all about?”
Hayes shrugged, “Just your standard panic attack; there has been a constant flow of advanced fear reactions when floaters arrived in the outlying towns. When I arrived here with Ames and Twisst, we had the advantage of a slower start and landing on the edge of town for a less threatening presentation. The floaters have to set down right in the middle of the towns because of the lack of time, and that has had a cultural shock effect even with the Watts locals that are on the floaters.”
He waved a hand at the couple, “They can sit there all night if they want and get used to us; their final decision time will come when the Weasel is ready to leave.”
“How soon will I be ready to leave?”
“I don’t know; let me check. Hayes to Kellogg.”
“Kellogg here, Lieutenant.”
“How are we doing on loading the Gregory Falls?”
“I would call it slow. Reports indicate that we were lucky to get the Winslow and Pugnacious loaded and gone. I would not expect to achieve a full load before dawn tomorrow, your time.”
“Alright, the Gregory Falls is cleared to leave twenty hours from now without consideration of load status. The same goes for
